Classic Cars at Goodwood

Creature comforts

The Everglades

Everglades National Park is an expanse of nearly 1.5 million acres, famous for its population of American alligators, allegedly the smartest reptiles on the planet. Not smart enough, however, as "gator nuggets" were on today's lunch menu! It is true what people say about alligator meat - it does taste like chicken, if a little meatier.

Winter at Oxshott Heath

Snow is a rare and bittersweet substance. When it blankets our country, it isolates us in our homes, and turns travel into treacherous journeys. Yet there is still a magical quality about snowfall, how it transforms our world into a beautiful and wintry scene. A walk yesterday through Oxshott Heath illustrated as much. 

ASOS DUFFEL COAT / TOPMAN SLIM JEANS / DR MARTENS LANGSTON BOOTS

Oxshott Heath has ever held a place in my childhood memories, when once upon a time it was referred to simply and exclusively as "the woods". Therefore to see this earthy forest metamorphosed into a winter wonderland was a remarkable sight, almost as if I were a Pevensie child stepping into Narnia for the first time.

However, while there is much beauty to be admired in a snowy paradise, it is difficult to ignore frozen fingers. Fellow blogger Stu Bradley mentioned yesterday the absurdity of some fashion bloggers, who compromise practicality for the sake of fashion in this snowy weather. Surely, common sense establishes that a woolly coat and hard-wearing boots are necessities? If good style is an importance, choose garments and accessories which cater for both aesthetic and purpose.

Princess Anne, Bournemouth University

I had today the privilege of photographing HRH Princess Anne's visit to Bournemouth
University. The Princess Royal came to observe the university's many highlights and
achievements, including archaeological research, excellence in computer animation,
and the Media School's HD television studio. While the occasion itself was a fantastic
experience, I also learnt much from my mentor, Saeed Rashid, who has indirectly
swayed me into investing in Adobe Lightroom and perhaps even a new camera.

Corfu holiday snaps

Our villa was tucked away on a hillside south of Kassiopi, a coastal town in the north-east of Corfu. Pine trees spire from sweeping olive groves that stretch towards the Ionian Sea, while the dry hills of neighbouring Albania sleep against a pale blue sky. The beaches are pebbly, with rocky coves perfect for exploring. The sunshine was a constant treasure.

Olympic Torch in Bournemouth: Part 2

Christchurch Road, Pokesdown

The Olympic torch passes through Pokesdown on Saturday 14th July, carried by
18-year-old trampoline gymnast Nathan Bailey, who holds the current rank of
Junior World Champion. Christchurch Road is packed with onlookers, with
those outside Pokesdown for Boscombe railway station spilling into the road.

@lisaculling: "Can't believe how many turned out for the Olympic torch.
Well done #Pokesdown, you did us proud. #OlympicTorchRelay #torchbmth"

Olympic Torch in Bournemouth: Part 1

Wimborne Road, Winton

The Olympic torch passes through Winton on Friday 13th July. Thousands of local
spectators are lined along the entire stretch of Wimborne Road, savouring the ten
fleeting seconds to glimpse and cheer on the torchbearer. Minutes after, the street
is quiet again and normality resumes, but the moment will remain a fresh memory.

@SteveBaileyEcho: "The phrase everybody in Bournemouth keeps using when
you ask about what brought them to the #torchrelay is 'once in a lifetime'"

Would you believe a squirrel posed for me?

The grey squirrels that inhabit Bournemouth's Lower Gardens are posers. From what I witnessed yesterday afternoon, this dray of twitchy, bounding, furry critters were trying their luck at achieving stardom, posing for every camera that pointed in their direction. Well guess what, little creatures? Your whiskers and bushy tails made it onto my blog.

Easter eggs

I'm an atheist, but there is still no escaping Easter. Commercialism dictates that today warrants the plentiful feasting of chocolate eggs, which - in all fairness - is not necessarily a bad thing. Personally, I love Easter simply for the fact that once it's all over, Cadbury Creme Eggs are seriously cheap.

In London, the theme of Easter eggs manifested itself into 'The Big Egg Hunt', in which various artists and designers crafted 200 unique eggs to be hidden across the city. The aim was to break the world record for the biggest Easter Egg hunt. All the eggs are now
on display in Covent Garden Piazza; a few of my favourites are pictured below...

Cupcake Camp Bournemouth 2012

Just after noon today, my Twitter feed was filled with Tweets about a "Cupcake Camp"
at Bournemouth Pavilion. As a lover of cakes and sugary treats, it was an opportunity I could not ignore. Having tried my Grandad's macro lens for the first time, here are a few photos from the cupcake extravaganza. Nom nom nom.

The adventures of Brooksy

This is Brooksy, a ginger cat I spotted chasing pigeons and squirrels in Bournemouth's Lower Gardens. Having four cats of my own, I was naturally curious to follow Brooksy through his urban environment. You too can follow the critter's travels from Westover Road to the Parish Church of St Peter in my photos below.

(P.S. I know this post isn't about fashion, but I tend to point my camera at anything I find remarkable, which happens to include cats. If you adore them as much as I do, make sure you visit The Dainty Squid style blog by Kaylah.)

BU Dance Society photographs

Browsing through my albums, I came across the photos I took of the BU Dance Society during BUnique Week last term. The pictures were supposed to be for the new student newspaper, 'The Rock', but it was soon after that my laptop died, meaning I couldn't access the files. Anyhow, here they are now for you to view at your leisure.

Christmas round-up

This year, perhaps more than other years, I've really enjoyed Christmas with my family. As well as the heaps of food and piles of presents, I especially delighted in all the games we played, including a tense and competitive game of Articulate, many rounds of Wizard, and making good use of my stepdad's four-person Cribbage set. Although I sorely miss Bournemouth and all my BAMMJ pals, spending the Christmas break at home has so far been wonderful.

So here is a small round-up/montage of my Christmas photos to give you a taste of my festive break. I hope your winter holidays have been just as lovely as mine.

Bloggers' Christmas Party - Bristol & more photos

You didn't think I had only taken three photos from this weekend's blogger meet, did you? Although I'll admit it was silly of me to be taking photos with a few MyStreetChic cocktails in my system. I'm not sure where all the extra pitchers came from.

In any case, here are some more photos from the evening...

From left: Lyzi (Being Little), Kim (Sweet Monday), Ayden (Little Blog of Horrors),
Bee (Vivatramp), Rosie (A Rosie Outlook)

Clothes Show Live 2011 - The Dance Show

The Dance Show at Clothes Show Live features some of the best dance talent from around the UK. Of course, it's difficult to appreciate the artistic skill through still photography, so I suppose you'll just have to trust me when I say that these two, youthful, street dance acts - of which the latter, 'Karizma Krew', were finalists in the Street Dance XXL UK Championships - performed amazingly on stage.